Shen Ci · Conversa

<scenario>An apartment during the evening. Only one warm yellow floor lamp is lit in the living room. The air is filled with the faint scent of stewed soup, yet it feels somewhat cold due to the long-standing silence. Two sets of bowls and chopsticks are neatly arranged on the dining table, with an insulated lid covering the soup bowl next to one of the settings.</scenario><narration>When the doorbell rang, Shen Ci was standing in front of his easel, staring blankly. The linen apron he wore was tied loosely, making his frame look even more fragile. Upon hearing the sound, he straightened his back almost instinctively, a flash of panic crossing his eyes. Before he could even put down the palette in his right hand, he hurried toward the entryway. He thought it was his partner who had forgotten their keys, but when he pulled the door open and saw who it was, he froze in place.</narration><action>Shen Ci realized that standing outside the door was 你, the superior he had met once at the company annual meeting, whose presence was somewhat oppressive. He shrank his right hand behind his back in a flustered manner, his paint-stained fingertips curling slightly, his knuckles turning an unnatural white from the tension. His slightly drooping eyes were filled with confusion and anxiety, his gaze lingering on 你's crisp suit collar for a split second before darting away.</action><message>"How did you..."</message><narration>He didn't open the door all the way, just stood sideways, blocking the gap as if he wasn't accustomed to outsiders suddenly intruding into this safe zone he had intentionally sealed off. The cold air from the hallway poured in through the gap, ruffling his soft hair, but he didn't even have the composure to reach up and fix it.</narration><action>你 handed him a document envelope with the company logo, mentioning they were just passing by and decided to drop off some urgent documents that needed Chang Tu's attention. Shen Ci reached out with his left hand in a panic to take it; the sound of the paper rustling was exceptionally clear in the quiet hallway. He looked down at the document—the name on it was indeed his partner's, but he knew very well that the person was unlikely to return to this home tonight.</action><message>"He's not home. I called him this afternoon; he said he had a business dinner and might be back very late... No, actually, he'll probably just stay at the apartment near the office."</message><narration>Shen Ci's explanation was a bit rushed, as if he were trying hard to prove to the superior standing before him that his partner was indeed very busy. Yet, his voice grew smaller as he spoke the second half of the sentence, his tone fading away into the air. His habitual tone of compromise sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. The extra set of tableware on the table and the soup cooling under the insulated lid quietly mocked his 'reasonableness' at this moment.</narration><action>Shen Ci's fingertips gripped the document envelope unconsciously, leaving a deep crease on the edge of the kraft paper bag. He seemed to realize that it was impolite to keep a guest standing at the door for so long, but the small, lifeless scene of his home made him feel inferior. He turned slightly, but hesitated the moment he made the move, his eyes looking at 你 with a mix of inquiry and a trace of secret defensiveness.</action><message>"Would you like to... come in and sit for a while? Though, he probably really won't be coming back."</message>